“Do not separate yourself from the community; and do not trust in yourself until the day of your death. Do not judge your fellow until you are in his place. Do not say something that cannot be understood but will be understood in the end. Say not: When I have time I will study because you may never have the time.”

Hillel, Pirkei Avot 2:5

Countless Ways to Participate

No matter what your age or place in life is, there is a community for you at Oak Park Temple.

What Do You See When You See Oak Park Temple?

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Community Gallery

Social Work from Jewish Child & Family Services

Oak Park Temple is proud to participate in a new joint program, along with West Suburban Temple Har Zion, with the help of Jewish Child and Family Services (JCFS) to provide community support services to individuals, couples, and families who may be struggling in life and who are seeking support.

JCFS services will be available to people of all age groups and backgrounds with a variety of concerns including mental health, financial, housing, food, medical, school, learning, behavioral, social and relationships issues among others. The goal will be to assist community members, in and out of Temple membership, and to empower them, advocate on their behalf, and connect them with community resources that will provide them with tools that will benefit them in their lives.

JCFS Social Worker Ann Luban will be in Oak Park/River Forest on Tuesdays and Thursdays, typically between the hours 9am-5pm, alternating between Oak Park Temple and West Suburban Temple. Please feel free to stop by and introduce yourself. If you want to meet with Ann, please email her at JCFS.

Sunday Mornings @ Oak Park Temple

Members and prospective members visiting Oak Park Temple on Sunday mornings will find a vibrant community with something for everyone!

The Bagel Boys sell bagels, lox, almost every bagel topping you can imagine, coffee, juices, and other drinks in the Temple rotunda. Grab a bagel and coffee, bring your newspaper, tablet or computer, and relax in the rotunda or upstairs in the library. You can schmooze with friends, hold an impromptu committee meeting or pretend like you’re getting work done. The Temple even offers free wi-fi to members.

You can also take your bagel and coffee upstairs to one of our Adult Education classrooms, where you can join one of a number of Torah Study classes. You don’t need to read Hebrew–you can just jump right in. Learn more on our Adult Education section.

Parents of school-age children can drop off their kids at Religious School, while parents of younger kids can enjoy inexpensive babysitting (as long as they stay in the Temple).

It’s a safe bet that something more will be happening: a bake sale in the rotunda, signups for the annual Temple retreat or other events, a book sale or rummage sale in the community hall, or a special guest speaker.

Come join us on Sunday mornings!

The Bagel Boys:
We’re Looking for
a Few Good Machers!

The Bagel Boys of Oak Park are a group of irreverent do-gooders who rise to the challenge of providing physical sustenance (in the form of bagels, lox, beverages and sarcasm) for our congregants and guests on Sunday mornings. We have a proud heritage, spanning more than two decades, of creating a special Sunday morning Oak Park Temple ambiance that spreads like a good schmeer. And now you can be at the center of the storm!

Join us for fun, fellowship, laughter, tears and bonhomie. Make life-long friends, support Oak Park Temple, and get to know the bagel preferences of OPT congregants. You get to pick your bagel first!

For more information, talk to any of the Bagel Boys on Sunday mornings, or contact Seth Levrant, Chief Bagel, or Jeff Blaine, Bagel Emeritus.

Echad al Echad:
Creating Lasting Bonds with Israel

Echad al Echad (literally “One to One”) is our initiative designed to strengthen the bonds between Oak Park Temple and the Reform movement in Israel.

Founded in 2007, Echad al Echad is a partnership between Oak Park and Kiryat Tivon, a town 20 miles east of Haifa and one of a few dozen communities in Israel with a Reform synagogue, Congregation Ma’alot Tivon. Echad al Echad has been locally recognized with Oak Park Temple’s Best New Initiative Award in 2007 and nationally with ARZA’s Gittelsohn Award in 2008.

Find a way to be a part of this great program. Please contact us for more information.

Annual Summer Teen Exchange Program

The flagship activity of Echad al Echad is an annual summer teen exchange, where Oak Park Temple and Kiryat Tivon teens visit each other’s city every other year. Every effort is made to run the program as cost efficiently as possible, with an eye towards making this an integral part of our community. When the Israelis visited us this summer, they were housed in OPT homes. We utilized public transportation whenever possible, and we worked hard to find in-kind donations to decrease the financial support needed from the Temple community. Similarly, when our teens visit Israel on alternating summers, they will pay only airfare, and our Israeli partners will cover the rest of the expenses.

Since 2007, there have been groups of Israeli teens hosted by Oak Park Temple families for two weeks each and 3 groups of Oak Park Temple youth who have visited Kiryat Tivon. A recent itinerary was typically hectic, including: a visit to the DuPage County Fair (complete with a demolition derby); a Lake Michigan sail generously contributed by OPT member Ben White; the Miracle Mile; the Willis Tower; a cross-cultural discussion led by OPT member Mark Kaufman; Chinatown; an FLW tour led by OPT member Sue Blaine; the Field Museum and MSI. We enjoyed Shabbat services at OPT and toured KAM synagogue in Hyde Park. Ironically, the only activity we didn’t get around to was going to the beach (due to the weather)!

Teens and adults on both sides of the Atlantic have found their bonds deepening with time:Israeli teens visiting the United States have returned to our community to see their American “families,” and OPT Echad al Echad alumni have done the same. Adults traveling through Israel have stopped in Kiryat Tivon to visit, and some Oak Park Temple congregants have even become international members of Ma’alot Tivon.

From the onset, we had hoped that these one-to-one connections between our congregation and Kiryat Tivon would lead to a deeper understanding and closeness with Israel. That hope has come true.

More About OPT & Israel

ARZA – Association of Reform Zionists of America

ARZA is the Zionist organization of the Reform Movement. It reaches out to all Reform Jews in the U.S. to help foster a better understanding of Israel and to support the Reform Movement in Israel. It is a vital part of our movement, as no matter what our political views are, Israel is a central part of our identity.

Reform Zionism can be interpreted to be many things to many people, even within our congregation. Now, over 65 years after the establishment of the state, we need to work to support the democracy and to ensure that Israel is a place that embraces Jews of all backgrounds and streams in a pluralistic environment. Zionism today is not only about making aliyah, but is about understanding what Israeli society is today and how it can be improved in the future. It is also about visiting Israel to see what an amazing country it is.

ARZA can help us better understand what is happening in Israel especially as it relates to the Reform Movement. One way it does this is by supporting Israel programs in congregations across the US. There are speakers available from Israel and from here, that help educate congregants of any age group.

At Oak Park Temple, we have hosted a number of speakers, including the Israel Consulate General and an expert from the Israel Ministry of Tourism. We also have a special connection with Kibbutz Lotan and have had Alex Cicelsky, Kibbutz Lotan founder, visit Oak Park Temple several times.

Our sister congregation, Maa’lot Tivon, receives funding and support from ARZA. And our Echad al Echad, student exchange program with Maa’lot Tivon has received awards from ARZA at a national level.

Support of the Reform Movement in Israel fosters social justice, equality, religious pluralism and values that are important to Reform Jews.

From the Oak Park Temple Policy Manual…

Our Reform Jewish commitment requires that we be of service to our community. The Temple is resolute in promoting and safeguarding the rights and well-being of all humanity. As part of that commitment, we support the State of Israel and encourage the freedom of Jews throughout the world.

Who are The Women of Oak Park Temple?

The Women of Oak Park Temple is a women’s organization that gathers together in friendship for programs that support the Temple and the larger community, for social activities, for learning and spiritual growth, and above all for personal enrichment, so that each woman may fulfill her potential as a person within a Jewish environment.

Within the Congregation, The Women of Oak Park Temple is the collective presence, voice, and strength for women of all ages and varying stages in life. It is a place where women can meet and work together for the benefit of the Congregation and its members. Here, women can initiate and develop projects in which they have an interest. The Women of OPT provides an outlet for the creative energy, talent, and leadership potential of its members. The Women of OPT also gives women a worldwide identity through its affiliation with Women of Reform Judaism, a federation of 100,000 members throughout the United States, Canada, and overseas.

To join The Women of Oak Park Temple, please download our membership form. You can drop it off or send it to the Temple office. Also consider a Little Sister Membership, which provides an opportunity members to include their daughters and granddaughters in the wonderful work performed by The Women of OPT.

More about The Women of Oak Park Temple

What We Do

The Women of Oak Park Temple provides the opportunity for its members to participate in activities or programs that are valuable to them, their families, their Congregation and their community. Our sisterhood has a long history of helping many aspects of Congregational life. Areas in which we contribute support to the Temple community include:

Ozerim

The Women of OPT Ozerim gives help to members of OPT when they need it: setting up and cleaning up shivas, providing meals during an illness or times of hardship, providing rides during illness, lending a helping hand (i.e. meals) when a new baby first arrives home, or visiting when a friend is needed. For further information, please contact Amy Pokras.

Tributes

Tributes are a great way to help support The Women of OPT. The cost is $5.00 for a regular card or $10.00 for a gold seal. Send a tribute to a friend who is sick, a relative who has had a simcha or to let someone know you care. Please email Florence Weese for more information.

By-Laws

The By-Laws were amended in April 2014 by the Oak Park Temple Sisterhood (the former name of Women of Oak Park Temple).

Job Descriptions

Wise Aging

OPT is excited to offer the Wise Aging program, a groundbreaking series of 8 workshops designed for congregants age 50+.

In our youth-oriented culture, the inevitability of our aging is lost amongst fear and denial. It is the elephant in the room! As we age, amid shifting roles, physical changes and loss, there is opportunity for discovery, resilience and joy. We will meet regularly to discuss, actively listen, share in small groups, study, journal and reflect. We will develop a deeper sense of well-being, cultivate wisdom and connect with others.

Sessions are based on expert resources and delivery developed for the Institute for Jewish Spirituality by Rabbi Rachel Cowan and Dr. Linda Thal.

Congregants Barbara Hausman and Marc Blesoff have been trained by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality to facilitate the Wise Aging program.

Join a Chavurah

It doesn’t matter whether you have belonged to Oak Park Temple for two months or for twenty years; there is a place for you in a Chavurah. Individuals and families come together in a group formed based on interest, proximity, demographics or other factors of their choosing. This is your opportunity to feel connected to other Jews when you are outside of the Temple. For families with youngsters it is an opportunity for your children to form bonds with other Jewish children.

Your Chavurah will turn acquaintances into friends. The group will vary in size from approximately 14 to 20 adults. Over the course of your Chavurah’s existence you may have people who move or people who attend sporadically, but you will have a strong core and a viable number to participate in each of your group’s activities.

How and what your Chavurah chooses to do is entirely up to your group. Activities range from pot luck meals to celebrating Jewish holidays to attending plays, concerts, parks and zoos together. Your group can be your vehicle for celebrating Jewish holidays at Temple and in your home. Your Chavurah can be whatever its members want it to be.

Every year we seek to establish new Chavurot groups. Sometimes these groups sprout by members taking the lead and forming their own groups. If you are interested in becoming part of a Chavurah or in forming a new group please contact Joyce Smoler at 708-345-8770 or joyce@atthegallery.com.

Join a Committee

One great way to stay active in the Oak Park Temple community is to join a committee.

Whether it’s helping us expand our membership, planning a special event, engaging in social action initiatives or just socializing with your Temple friends, committees are a great way to stay engaged with the needs of our community while staying close to your fellow Temple Members.

Participation on a committee is open to all our membership. Any member interested in a particular committee is encouraged to contact the chair of that committee. Please also use the form below to reach out to the Temple or a committee head to express your interest in joining and helping.

Our committees/affiliates are listed below:

Adult Education Committee

Bagel Boys

Chevre Hiddur Mitzvah

Communications

Echad al Echad

Endowment Committee

Finance Committee

Fundraising

Glasser Preschool Board

Membership Committee

Nominating Committee

OPTY

Ozerim

P.A.D.S.

Religious School Committee

Seniors Committee

Shure Memorial Library

Social Action Committee

Women of Oak Park Temple

Worship

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OPTY: Oak Park Temple Youth

The Purpose of OPTY Shall Be:

To help Jewish teens stay connected to Judaism in a fun, safe, and open environment.

To provide a way to meet other Jewish high school students.

To do the work of “Tikkun Olam,” repairing the world.

To foster a Jewish community specifically for teens.

The Oak Park Temple Creative Community (OPTCC)

Please click through the OPTCC Virtual Gallery, and select an image to enlarge it. To submit items for display in this gallery, please contact Karen Muriello.

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Catalya Orchid Oak Park Conservatory – 2008 – Gary Ghertner

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Sunday Best – mixed media etching collage – Jonathan Franklin

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Hanukkah 2012 – Gary Ghertner

Aleph and its Crops-

Aleph and its Crops – Greg Kovalsky

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Oak Park House (2013) – Nancy Rose Ortenberg

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Cone Flower, Oak Park – 2009 – Gary Ghertner

Montefiori Mill, Jerusalem

Montefiori Mill, Jerusalem – Greg Kovalsky

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Buffet – mixed media etching collage – Jonathan Franklin

Mea-Shearim (Hundred Gates) Quarter 2, Jerusalem

Mea Shearim (Hundred Gates) Quarter 2, Jerusalem – Greg Kovalsky

2 Twin (9 x 6) 2011

Twins – mixed media etching collage – Jonathan Franklin

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Bipolar – acrylic collage on giclee print – Jonathan Franklin

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Tapestry by Berit Engen

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Jonathan Franklin

Fantasy a (327) 21×31 2010

Jonathan Franklin

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Solar House (2013) – Nancy Rose Ortenberg

Layer Cake 4 (340) 26 x 32 2013

Layer Cake – oil on canvas – Jonathan Franklin

Blue-Gold Dreidl – Gilo, Jerusalem

Shabat ve-Yom-Tov (Shabbath and Holiday)

Shabat ve-Yom-Tov (Shabbat and Holiday)

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Tapestry by Berit Engen

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Hibiscus (Summer 2013) – Nancy Rose Ortenberg

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“Old City Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter” – Greg Kovalsky

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Tapestry by Berit Engen

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Membership in this group is open to any Temple member who is creative or simply enjoys creativity. Two meetings are held per year: one in fall to discuss activities and the other in spring to elect officers. Karen Muriello is the current chairperson. The group tackles special projects as requested or suggested. The Virtual Art Gallery below provides an online, museum space for the many visual artists of Oak Park Temple.

To join or to be added to our mailing list, please contact Karen Muriello.

Suburban Thursday Afternoon Retirees (S.T.A.R.)

Suburban Thursday Afternoon Retirees (S.T.A.R.) is a joint effort between Oak Park Temple B’nai Abraham Zion and West Suburban Temple Har Zion (WSTHZ) that meets weekly on Thursdays at WSTHZ from 1 pm to 3 pm, except on Jewish and National Holidays. The group is open to all people in the area interested in learning about many varied topics such as Judaism, politics, health, art, music, senior living, services available in our communities, public safety issues, senior scams, etc.

S.T.A.R. was started by Sheryl Stoller, emeritus Rabbi’s Gerson and Mirelman, Annabel Abraham and Hene Waterbury (both from WSTHZ) and others. We have guest speakers – rabbis, cantors, historians, doctors, social service folks, and reps from senior buildings. We often visit, discuss and share items of interest to the group, such as current events of local, national and international importance. We have trips to Chicago Symphony, and we have been guests at our various senior buildings. WSTHZ provides coffee, tea and goodies.